1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of creating a debug specification used in debugging an electronic circuit measuring apparatus and a test program specification used for creating a test program.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 3 shows an ordinary electronic circuit measuring circuit. A circuit 4 to be measured, such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, is set in a measuring peripheral circuit 5. The electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1 has a plurality of power sources R1 to R4 which are connected through switches SW1 to SW4 provided in the peripheral circuit 5 to pins P1 to P4 of the circuit 4. The peripheral circuit 5 has a switch SWa between the pin P2 of the circuit 4 and a grounded terminal. The electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1 also has a peripheral circuit control unit 2 for controlling the switches SW1 to SW4 and SWa of the peripheral circuit 5, and a tester controller 3 programmed to control the peripheral circuit control unit 2 and the power sources R1 to R4. The peripheral circuit 5 is provided when the measuring specification cannot be implemented by the electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1 alone or when it is inconvenient to implement the measuring specification in terms of the measuring operation by the electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1 alone.
When the characteristics of the circuit 4 are determined using such a measuring apparatus, measurements are carried out on the basis of the measurement specification shown in, for example, Table 1.
TABLE 1 __________________________________________________________________________ Measuring parameter Measuring Standard value Setting condition No. Name of parameter condition Minumum Maximum P1 P2 P3 P4 SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SWa __________________________________________________________________________ 1 Leak current 1 VF = 0.4 V, IM 1 .mu.A 3 .mu.A M OV on on 2 Leak current 2 VF = 0.4 V, IM 2 .mu.A 4 .mu.A M OV on on 3 Circuit current VF = 5 V, IM 10 mA 20 mA OV M on on on 4 Terminal voltage 1 IF = 0 .mu.A, VM 1 V 2 V M OV 5V on on on on 5 Terminal voltage 2 IF = 0 .mu.A, VM 2 V 3 V M OV 5V on on on on __________________________________________________________________________
Alternatively, measurements are carried out on the basis of the test program obtained by converting the measurement specification shown in Table 1 to a computer program. For example, measurement of leakage currents 1 and 2 as the measurement Nos. 1 and 2 in Table 1 respectively correspond to the following test programs TEST1 and TEST2.
TEST 1: leakage current 1 PA1 TEST 2: leakage current 2
SET SW1=ON, SW3=ON PA2 SET PIN1=0.4 V, MEAS. MODE=I PA2 SET PIN3=0 V PA2 MEAS PIN 1 PA2 JUDGE LO 1.mu.A, HI 3.mu.A PA2 SET SW2=ON, SW1=OFF PA2 SET PIN1=OFF PA2 SET PIN2=0.4 V, MEAS. MODE=I PA2 MEAS PIN2 PA2 JUDGE LO 2 .mu.A, HI 4 .mu.A
These test programs contain a series of steps which can be carried out by the tester controller 3 of the electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1. According to these test programs, the peripheral circuit control unit 2 of the electronic circuit measuring apparatus 1 controls the switches SW1 to SW4 and SWa of the peripheral circuit 5, supplies electronic signals from the power sources R1 to R4 to the circuit 4, and measures output signals from the circuit 4 to determine the characteristics thereof.
Prior to the measurement, it is necessary to check whether the measuring conditions defined by the test program satisfy the measuring conditions indicated in the measurement specification, i.e., debugging must be performed. This debugging is conducted by checking the electrical state at the pins P1 to P4 of the circuit to be measured 4 using a waveform observing device, such as an oscilloscope, connected to the pins P1 to P4. Regarding, for example, the TEST1, i.e., the measurement of the leakage current 1, 0.4 v and 0 v are respectively applied to the pins P1 and P3 of the circuit to be measured 4 and the states of the switches SW1 and SW3 are checked. In the TEST2, i.e., in the measurement of the leakage current 2, the states of the switches SW2 and SW3 are checked. Debugging is conducted similarly regarding the other measuring parameters.
In the conventional debugging method, checking of the measuring conditions is thus conducted for each of the consecutive measuring parameters. Consequently, debugging requires time and is troublesome work.
Furthermore, there is the possibility that the power source or the like used in a previous stage is not disconnected and therefore measured in a measurement to be executed after the power source or the like used in a previous stage should have been disconnected.